British Columbia Archives

The BC Archives are located in Victoria, British Columbia just next door to the Royal BC Museum. Luckily, for researchers, they share the same website which puts all information in a one-stop location.

As far as genealogy records go, the Archives offers a search form for indexes to births (1854-1903), marriages (1872-1938), deaths (1872-1993), colonial marriages (1859-1872) and baptisms (1836-1888). A separate search allows you to access their fond descriptions, their library as well as records in formats other than text. Another type of record accessible through the BC Archives are Divorce Orders from before 1983 and Sisters of St. Ann Archives.

Just click on any of the links above to learn more!

Québec City Genealogy & Local History Research

Québec City is a beautiful place that I hope everyone gets a chance to visit at one point in their lifetime. Here are a collection of links that might prove useful to you if you are doing family or local history research for this wonderful place. Be aware! Some of these links may only be available in French. You can have them translated using Google Translate.

• La Société historique de Québec
• Ville de Québec - Archives
• The Québec City Tourism office offers a list of 18 sites (physical and virtual) for history and heritage. They also offer a list devoted to English, Scottish, and Irish heritage of Québec City
• Members of the Quebec Family History Society have access to the Norma Lee Collection which pertains to Québec City
• They Walked with Champlain at Québec: a list of the first settlers who established themselves in Québec City in the early 1600s

There are many, many more resources that pertain to the province of Quebec, so be sure to explore those as well as the ones above!

Toronto Public Library Local History and Genealogy Blog

Toronto Public Library has a great blog on local history and genealogical resources. I appreciate the depth and detail their staff includes in the posts. By the end of the entry, you know not only where to turn, but in the case of subscription databases like Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail, you'll also be given tips on how to use the Advanced Search features, how to save and print.

Information is not limited to subscription resources, but you're also given details on how to do research on passenger lists and Home Children, how to get started with French Canadian & Acadian Genealogy, or learn more about historical Toronto and area landmarks. Be sure to have a look!

Quarriers Homes of Scotland

The Quarriers are a Scottish charitable organization who are dedicated to helping children and their families who are facing adversity. Their history goes back to the 1870s with their founder, William Quarrier, caring for orphaned children. If you have an ancestor or family member from an Orphan's home in Scotland, then this website will be of interest to you:

Approximately 30,000 children spent at least some of their childhood in the Orphan Homes of Scotland, a name changed in 1958 to Quarriers Homes. Each child’s entry to and departure from the Homes was recorded as was basic information about the family’s circumstances.  

Records have been kept since Quarrier opened his first Children's shelter in Glasgow, so be sure to contact their Genealogy and Records Service if you would like to learn more about the information they hold.

Petition available online to request 1921 Census be released!

Family history is important for a variety of reasons. Please click on the link to sign the petition below and ask the Federal government to make this invaluable resource available without delay!
Please join this campaign: http://chn.ge/17AhwSb.

Genealogy and Food

I came across an episode of Chef Michael Smith's show, Chef at Large, about an Acadian Reunion. One of the people featured in the episode was having a hard time finding his connection to his Acadian roots but Smith commented towards the end that he must be from the family he was researching, because he cleaned his plate of all of the delicacies prepared for the reunion. It reminded me that we all have some sort of connection to specific foods that are part of our heritage. For me, it's certain dishes at Christmas that connect me to my French-Canadian heritage: tourtière, boeuf bourguignon, and ragoût de boulettes come to mind. So, when you're researching your family tree, why not take a look into the food of your ancestors if you're not already familiar with it?

Bon Appétit!

Nova Scotian Genealogy in Toronto

While "wandering" back from Port Hope, I heard a radio ad for the Toronto Nautical Festival at Queens Quay Harbourfront, taking place from June 19-22. Don't know how I'm about to make the genealogy leap? Well, turns out that there will be genealogy booth at the Festival where assistance will be provided to help you discover your Nova Scotia roots. So, think Black Loyalist, Acadian, Maritime genealogies, and that's just a start!

Wired Genealogy: OGS Annual Conference

The Ontario Genealogical Society's annual conference happens this spring: May 30-June 1 at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. The theme is Wired Genealogy, and includes experts from Dick Eastman to Fawne Stratford-Devai to Geoffrey D. Rasmussen among the 46 speakers who will be discussing EVERYTHING related to genealogy, the internet, and computers/software. A very affordable learning experience, so don't miss out!

Genealogy Resources You Can Use Now!

I've just been notified that my presentation at OLA Superconference is now available on the conference website. Click here to head on over! Just a reminder that it was session #1913

My OLA Presentation

Unfortunately, Blogger doesn't have the functionality that will allow me to post my powerpoint presentation to my blog, so I will have to wait until OLA posts it on the Superconference website, then provide a link to it. I'm hoping that will be done by next week, but I'll post as soon as it's available.